Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1887-10-20

When aJohn Browns first victim " was
stricLen down. bv accident, the spirit oil slave
~ that slm of all villainies, was SO rampant
tiat the first victim, a free cOlOred man. Was
offen i'm danger of his life and was hardly per
Knitted to STAY at Harpers Ferry, except Wiieh
bonds were given for him by white irienn'
Notwithstanding the declaration oil M l :i-h
Press that he was an industrious,
colored man. he was haraSSed ana haIsll,5
dealt with because he was not slave ana coulu
not be made merchandise of.-Hmpcrs fef'y
S7itiRd.
The incident to which we have few times
referred. as will be seen by the above from
the Harpe,'s Ferry Sentinel, was an "aeci-
dentw The man who aimed accurately
and fred deliberately and shot poor Hay
ward fatally didn't know his gun was loaded!
And the same may be, with as much regard
for truth, said concerning the killing OF B@r-
", Turner, and Mayor Beckham. The tel-
lows that fred upon them didn't know their
rifles we're loaded Particularly in the case
of Mayor Beckham, who was quietly walk
ing along, alone, with his hands in his peck
ets-was accidentally" killed! John
Brown and his sons and sons-in-law were
in the Old Engine House-now known as
".John Browns Fort and one of them
accidentally put the muzzIe OF his gun
to hurriedly improvised port hole, and
the blamed thing, which its owner, of course,
thought was not loaded, accidentally "
discharged and the ball brought the yener-
able Mayor to the ground case of " ac-
cidental " sudden death AprQpOs, we may
SAY that during John Browns career in
Kansas. q while prior to his operations at
Harper's Ferry, there were similar acct
dental deaths, besides accidental burn
ings of barns and dwellings and accident
al " appropriation Of horses.
Ina former article the Sentinel remarked
that the killing of the industrious, molten
siye colored man bore glorious fruits -
accideu tai fruits, ell? In later issue,
and TO which we now refer, it says the
first victim of John Brown was free
colored man, who was often in danger ofhis
lie and was hardly permitted TO stay at
Harper's Ferry, except when bonds were
given for him by white friend" lie had
white friends at Harpers Ferry, had he
and they'd 20 on his bond Amazing adj
mission Well, it transpired that the pro-
fessed friends of the blacks-and Of Hay
ward who had lived there for years res
pected by all who knew him, hadn't been in
the town five minutes before they sent a
bullet through the back and body Of Hay
ward, who's life they regarded as in jeopar-
DIV. They came to relieve him Of harass-
ment and harshness. They did it," ac-
cideutally," however, we learn from the sen
finsL No chestnut about that remark it is
new and the Sentinel is entitled to the credit
of its production. Isn't it astounding that
the man represented as harassed, down trod-
den, oppressed" hardly permitted to
stay at Harper's Ferry should have found
among his so-called oppressors one ready
and willing to be his surety, whilst those
who came protesseily to loose the alleged
shackles and to relieve him of oppression
accidentally" fatally shot him five min
utes after they got there Twenty two Of
these fellows came down here with Sharpe.
rifles that they didn't know were loaded
The Sentinel, in the same column to which
we now respond, intimates that it came tC
" teach Righteousness in politics" which il
it had done earlier, it thinks, it might have
been a victim to devotion to Truth and
liberty to all men," Maybe it has come &c
teach Righteousness and prove its deyo
ton to Truth ;" Maybe it has : maybe il
will succeed accidentally "-notwith.
standing Fallztaf7s exclamation: Lord
how this world is given to lying l'-if il
aims as truly as the fellow who fired upon
poor Hayward, the Industrious, molten
siyc colored man.
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